Table 1.

Comparisons of Hair Characteristics Among Three Major Ethnic Groups

	Asian	African	Caucasian
Hair density	175 ± 54 hairs/cm2	161 ± 50 hairs/cm2	226 ± 73 hairs/cm2
Cross-sectional area	4804 ± 159 µm2	4274 ± 215 µm2	3857 ± 132 µm2
Hair curvature and shape	Relatively straightest Round cross-section	Curliest/spiral Ellipsoidal cross-section	Straight to curly Round to oval cross-section
Hair pigmentation	Black/brown Mainly eumelanin	Black/brown Mainly eumelanin	Brown/blond: mainly eumelanin Red: mainly pheomelanin
Hair growth rate	411 ± 53 µm/day	280 ± 50 µm/day	367± 56 µm/day
Lipid content and hydration	Polar lipid and free fatty acid	Apolar lipid	Polar lipid and free fatty acid Greatest moisture content
Integrity	Endurable to stress and strain Stretching: stronger than Caucasian hair	Most fragile No report of response when expose to stretching	Comparable strength with Asian hair in response to stress and strain

Note: Information provided in Table 1 is summarized from references 2–8.